Nate Erskine-Smith with constituents in Beaches–East York
  • Nate’s earned a reputation as a principled voice in the House of Commons, with a track record of voting more independently, and working across party lines to get things done.

     


    He focuses on substantive debate, goes beyond talking points, welcomes experts and different perspectives to his Uncommons podcast, where he provides long-form explanations of his voting and parliamentary work. 


  • Nate worked to drive down the costs of home building, advocated for doubling community and non-market housing, and supported efforts to address homelessness and help the most vulnerable.

     

    In a short time as Minister, he secured many long-term deals to strengthen and expand public transit and to get both housing and enabling infrastructure built.


  • Nate led efforts to enhance the Canada Workers Benefit. As a former co-chair of the all-party anti-poverty caucus, he also worked across party lines to help realize the Canada Disability Benefit.

     

    When big grocer CEOs all cancelled ‘hero pay’ bonuses at the same time in the pandemic, Nate held them accountable and worked to make wage-fixing illegal. He’s also been vocal about the need to address wealth inequality.


  • Nate’s legislation to treat substance use as a health issue was adopted by the government and passed by Parliament. He also worked to secure federal funding for evidence-based addiction treatment.

     

    He worked closely with a local childhood cancer survivor to deliver $30 million in federal support for pediatric cancer research and treatment. And he’s been part of successful efforts to advance sensible gun control.


  • Nate introduced net zero legislation and played an active role in efforts to improve the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act.

     

    He has consistently used his position to support stronger and more ambitious climate action and nature protection, and to defend the idea that polluters should pay.


  • Nate’s been a leading advocate for consumer protections online through stronger privacy laws, especially for our kids. He introduced privacy legislation and led Canadian and international efforts to hold social media platforms accountable.

     

    He worked at the industry committee to advocate for more competition, taking telecom companies to task in particular. And he led efforts at the privacy committee to hold Pornhub accountable for failing to protect young women on its platform.


  • Nate’s represented Canada on the world stage and defended human rights at the UN. He’s called for action to protect Rohingya refugees, support Palestinian human rights, hold China accountable for its treatment of the Uyghurs, and address forced labour in supply chains. 

     

    He also supported death with dignity laws, defended LGBTQ+ rights, supported refugee resettlement, worked to fix over-reaching anti-terror legislation, shut down hate speech, and criticized Quebec’s Bill 21.


  • Nate worked to reform Indigenous child welfare, supported government efforts to end long-term boil water advisories, and helped to build a partnership between the Liberal 416 caucus and TASSC, a coalition of Toronto’s Indigenous service organizations.

     

    As a result of his advocacy, the government delivered $2 million to provide TASSC a permanent home.


  • Nate’s been at the forefront of improving animal protections in Canada. His advocacy led to government action to ban the shark fin trade, address animal fighting and abuse, and phase out toxicity testing on animals.

     

    He also helped found the Liberal Animal Welfare caucus, seconded legislation to ban the captivity of whales and dolphins, and was the House sponsor for the Jane Goodall Act


  • Nate has delivered for our city and community. He finalized a deal to help the TTC acquire new subway cars, delivered federal support to unlock Toronto’s waterfront, and worked with the Mayor’s office to create Toronto Builds, federal low-cost financing of $2.55 billion to get new rentals and affordable housing built.

     

    He’s always been there for constituents. Nate stood with our community in the wake of the Danforth shooting, he and his team helped local vaccine clinics succeed in the pandemic, and he has advocated for countless constituents on specific case files or by raising their voice and concerns in Parliament.


Nate Logo
  • Testing and Tracing with Dr. Michael Warner

    Dr. Michael Warner is the Director of Critical Care at Michael Garron Hospital, working on the frontline to treat patients with COVID-19. He speaks to Nate about how we are falling short in necessary efforts to test and trace, and the need for more serious action to save lives.

  • From Paddling to Parliament with Adam van Koeverden

    Adam van Koeverden won four Olympic medals for Canada as a paddler, including a gold medal in 2004, and he’s been Canada’s flag bearer in both opening and closing Olympic ceremonies. He’s now the Liberal MP for Milton, and speaks to Nate about how and why he made the move from paddling to Parliament, and…

  • Gun control with Ken Price and Claire Smith

    Ken Price and Claire Smith’s daughter is a victim and survivor of the Danforth shooting. They talk to Nate about their journey as gun control advocates with the Danforth Families for Safe Communities (danforthfamilies.com), their views on recent government action to ban assault rifles, and what more they want to see.

  • Infodemic with Tim Caulfield

    There has been an incredible amount of false information about the pandemic, both from the dark corners of the internet and from world leaders. Tim Caulfield is a Canadian professor who has devoted his career to debunking pseudoscience. He speaks with Nate about popular COVID-19 myths, his work to combat this “infodemic”, and why Gwyneth…

  • Gun control with Bill Blair

    Our federal government has announced the immediate prohibition of 1,500 models and variants of assault rifles. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair is leading these efforts. He speaks with Nate about why this policy has been put into place, how it’s just a first step, and why we need a comprehensive approach to address gun violence.

  • Fighting systemic inequality with Senator Kim Pate

    Can we become a more equal society post-pandemic? As the former head of the Elizabeth Fry Societies, Senator Kim Pate has worked in prison reform for decades. She speaks with Nathaniel about her current work to fix our prisons, why we should address systemic inequality as part of that reform, and why a basic income…

  • Childcare at the core with Kate Bezanson

    As provinces set plans to re-open our economy, are they prioritizing childcare? The economic fallout of COVID-19 has hit women the hardest and childcare is critical for young families to return to the labour force. Nate is joined by Brock U Professor Kate Bezanson to discuss how and why childcare should be placed at the…

  • Public rules for big tech platforms with Taylor Owen

    How can and should we regulate big tech platforms, from Facebook to Google? Our online lives are largely filtered through a small number of these companies and we need new laws to protect the public interest. Nathaniel is joined by Professor Taylor Owen, McGill University’s Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications, to discuss the issue…

  • Power to Parliament with Michael Chong

    Conservative MP Michael Chong has been a strong advocate for empowering Parliament, including through his Reform Act. Nate speaks to Michael about the need for greater independence in politics, his experience resigning from cabinet in 2006 and running for leadership in 2017, and how we can and should strengthen our parliamentary institutions.

  • The doctor is in. Hedy Fry on COVID-19 and the opioid crisis

    Dr. Hedy Fry, Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre, has been a pioneer in the fight to treat drug use as a health issue. She speaks with Nathaniel about how COVID-19 exacerbates the realities of vulnerable populations, how B.C. is taking steps to address a contaminated drug supply, and her passion for the Charter and for…